Recessed SEM Pin Stub Sample Mount

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Recessed SEM Pin Stub Sample Mount

 For companies working in scanning electron microscopy, gamma spectrometry, or transmission electron microscopy sample preparation who are dissatisfied with the cost of re-preparing samples to fit the instrument needs. This technology is an SEM stub based met mount to work with the configuration of any optical or electron microscope that provides superior sample preparation with reduced time, waste, and cross-contamination.

Opportunity:   Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the SEM stub based met mount.  

Overview:        This technology is a new SEM stub based met mount for working with optical or electron microscope sample preparation. Traditional metallographic mounts are not dimensionally ideal for current microanalysis techniques. Currently, the practice in industry is to prepare the met mount and cut the sample from it, then adhere it to the SEM stub. INL’s new method will save personnel time and reduce processing waste by transferring to a new stub after final polishing.  

Description:    INL’s SEM stub based met mount is a brass met mount with a removable recessed SEM stub designed to maintain the surface finish, especially with radiological samples. The mount can travel from the polisher to the analysis instruments as the whole brass mount, or the SEM stub with the epoxy mounted sample can be removed and placed on the instrument stages. The stub is held in the brass mount with a ball detent pressed into a groove milled on the post of the SEM stub and the tolerance between the stub and mount is small enough to hold with light friction.

Benefits:          Benefits include:

• Save personnel time
• Reduce processing waste
• Cost reductions
• Safety improvements
• Simple design
  • Easy to machine materials
  • Very basic geometry
  • No special tooling needed for production
  • High turnout possible
• Can be modified upon request to accommodate specialized sample geometries
• Reduced/eliminated need for grounding when characterizing using electron microscopy
• Ability for a sample to travel from mounting/sample preparation to any number of characterization techniques without ever having to be remounted or resized
• High compatibility

Applications:   Applications include:

• Broad Applications: metallographic sample preparation and microanalysis
• Met mount for a metallographic sample embedded in the electron microscopy industry standard SEM stub
• Compatible with all commercially available SEM/FIB/EPMA stages and holders

Development Status:  TRL 7. This technology is actively in use at INL for irradiated samples.

INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Kala Majeti at td@inl.gov or 248-877-8866.